Articles
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Education
YOU GUEST IT: Three choices on school choice: Pay, move, or lie
In our state, opportunities to exercise school choice are pretty limited, unless you have money or fall into certain hard-to-educate (but not impossible-to-educate) categories, such as students with special needs. For most families, the options for parents and students are: pay for school choice, move into a public school district where schools are decent, or lie.Patrick B. McGuigan | March 3, 2015
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Education
An Economist Looks at Teacher Shortages
Oklahoma’s shortage of public school teachers has been much in the news lately. Those in the education establishment say that solving the problem will require increased funding and greater teacher satisfaction (by limiting class sizes, for example).Wendy Warcholik, Ph.D. | February 23, 2015
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Budget & Tax, Education
The High Cost of Oklahoma's Dropouts
If public schools lose 60 students total because of a school choice program, the education establishment will do everything it can to put a stop to it. But Oklahoma public schools lose 60 students every day as dropouts. The annual cost to taxpayers is a staggering $800 million—each and every year.Greg Forster, Ph.D. | February 23, 2015
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Education
An Economist Looks at Teacher Shortages
Oklahoma’s shortage of public school teachers has been much in the news lately. Those in the education establishment say that solving the problem will require increased funding and greater teacher satisfaction (by limiting class sizes, for example).Wendy Warcholik, Ph.D. | February 23, 2015
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Education
Oklahoma's Per-Pupil Available Revenues At An All-Time High
According to the Oklahoma State Department of Education, per-pupil available revenues have reached an all-time high.Jonathan Small | February 17, 2015
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Education
YOU GUEST IT: Let’s not fool ourselves on pre-K
My daughter will be attending Tulsa’s excellent universal public prekindergarten program next year, at an already excellent elementary school. I am thrilled to be able to take advantage of this free program. But how excellent is this program, really?Jennifer Doverspike | February 17, 2015
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Education
The price for more funding is increased parental choice
It isn’t easy or pleasant to tell people what they don’t want to hear. But it’s the indispensable foundation of effective leadership.Brandon Dutcher | February 11, 2015
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Education
YOU GUEST IT: Oklahomans strongly favor moving local school board elections to November
In an effort to increase turnout and participation in the electoral process, a proposal has been made to move local school board elections to the general election date in November. According to the most recent quarterly poll from SoonerPoll, Oklahomans strongly favor this idea — with 64.8 percent favoring the idea and 49.5 percent strongly favoring it.Bill Shapard | February 10, 2015
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Education
Tear Down This Wall
Education is the source of personal reformation and the pathway to achievement of dreams. Throughout my writing, reporting, and teaching career I have supported education reform in the broadest sense.Patrick B. McGuigan | February 5, 2015
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Education
Foster better education with choice for foster children
If Oklahoma is going to adopt sweeping reforms to serve foster children better, it shouldn’t just think about homes. It should think about schools. As state policymakers scrounge to find $150 million to implement a proposed plan to reform the foster care system, they should also implement a policy which would actually save money. By doing so, they could revolutionize life for some of Oklahoma’s most vulnerable children.Greg Forster, Ph.D. | February 5, 2015